Director: Lindsay Anderson
Screenplay: David Storey, based on the novel This Sporting Life by David Storey
Starring: Richard Harris, Rachel Roberts, Alan Badel, William Hartnell
Running Time: 134 minutes
Genre: Drama
Set in the English town of Wakefield, the film concerns Frank Machin (Harris), an angry coal miner, whose natural aggression leads to him being recruited by the local rugby league club, and he soon becomes something of a local hero. However Machin's violent streak causes havoc with his life off the playing field, particularly in his turbulent relationship with brittle widow Margaret (Roberts), who also happens to be his landlady.
This is a raw and powerful film, which marked the feature film debut of director Lindsay Anderson and the first starring role for Richard Harris. Based on the prize-winning novel by former rugby league player David Storey, who also wrote the screenplay, this is part of the so-called "kitchen sink" films of the 1950s and 60s, which attempted social realism, tackling the lives of ordinary, working-class Britons, with cynical, disillusioned "angry young men" protagonists and tackling topics that for the time were quite controversial. The film is notable for the visceral rugby scenes, in which Anderson gets his camera right among the player, and uses a fast paced editing style and some slow-motion sequences. Richard Harris turns in a fantastic performance as the brutal Frank Machin, a burly, angry man ready to lash out at a moment's notice, physically or verbally, even in his quieter moments the threat of violence is never far away. It's an innate part of him, that serves him well as a rugby player, and makes him a star, but which poisons everyone and everything around him. Rachel Roberts gives a heartbreaking performance as the damaged Margaret, grieving for her husband and bringing up two children on her own, she views Machin with a mix of fear and contempt, even if she cares about him, she can't allow herself to open up to him. The cast also includes the first Doctor Who William Hartnell, as a seedy talent scout.
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